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Awareness of Joy


Then I would still have this consolation—my joy in unrelenting pain— that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. (Job 6:10) 

          How is this for irony. “Joy” is used in Genesis once. It’s not found in Exodus at all. It’s in Leviticus, once; Deuteronomy, once; Joshua, not at all; Judges, once. It’s found in I Chronicles five times, in II Chronicles, once; four times each in Ezra and Nehemiah, and six times in Esther (all in the last two chapters.) Then, in Job, “joy” is mentioned 8 times. That’s right, Job, the story of one man’s misery mentions joy more than all of the writings of Moses, Joshua, Judges, and II Chronicles combined. It’s not even mentioned in Ruth.
      Consider that I Chronicles tells of the life of David, and many of the psalms were written by David. “Joy” is mentioned 53 times in the Psalms. Now, granted, not all the mentions of joy are positive. Both David and Job went through some difficult times. Neither was perfect, but in the midst of their sometimes-tumultuous lives, they seem to have been more aware of the idea of joy than the others.   
     And then, there’s Jesus.  “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). On the Mount of Olives as related by John in chapters 15-17, He used the term seven times. That’s right, the night before His crucifixion, He talked to man and God about joy nearly as many times as it is mentioned in 38 chapters of Job.
         Maybe it’s time to reconsider what “joy” is.

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